learning

A Cheerleader’s Soapbox

~ Kaitlyn @ Doing Dishes Making Wishes ~ 1 Comment

“Ugh! I will never allow my daughter to be a cheerleader!”

Those words were said directly to my face, during a normal, innocent conversation with a fellow mom friend. We had somehow started talking about our past high school activities, and it just so happened that I was a cheerleader in high school. Never mind that I graduated with honors and also did time on the track team, madrigals, choir, and school musicals – It was the cheerleader in me that she was determined to be pissed about. She spat out that sentence, with her eyes narrowed in disgust, and then immediately followed it up with a half-assed apology:

“I mean, no offense. But you can’t tell me that you would want one of your daughters to be a cheerleader!? Over my dead body will my daughter be a cheerleader.”

cheer
Some good old high school cheer days! #sorrynotsorry #2003wasnotmyyear

Well then. Offense taken, lady. I wouldn’t mind if one of my daughters was a cheerleader. In fact, I also wouldn’t mind if she was in theater, football, band, science club, tennis, student council, softball, chess club, soccer, mathletes or any one of the hundreds of clubs and athletic programs offered by their school. Extracurricular activities are a huge part of the whole “growing up” experience. Each extracurricular activity I participated in helped prepare me in a different way for the big, bad world – including my participation on the dreaded cheerleading squad. I actually learned some really great life lessons there!

We all wonder where on Earth kids learn how to be so mean to each other, and the answer is:

THE GROWN-UPS!

It breaks my heart to hear parents talk about children, and their participation in activities, in such a negative way. Examples of REAL QUOTES that have come out of the mouths of people I know:

“Ugh. Their poor kid. (eyeroll) They signed him up for band!”

“They keep letting her try out for the traveling team, but she never makes the cut. Why would they encourage her to keep getting let down every year?”

“Over my dead body will my daughter be a cheerleader.”

 

Do you know who overhears this nonsense?

Our children. And frankly, this makes me mad.

We need to encourage them to participate and excel at the things THEY love, not the things we love. If one of my daughters shows interest in music, then of course I will sign her up for band and choir. Why wouldn’t I want to foster a genuine interest and talent in my child? Why would I hold her back from the possibility of something great because of some old-school, played-out social hierarchy that says participation in music isn’t “cool”? The choir and band could be life-changing for her. She would be surrounded by people with a shared interest in music. She would learn life lessons, responsibility and teamwork, all in addition to nurturing her talent.

It is our job to encourage our children to participate, even if that means they might fail. They might not be good enough, and that’s just fine. If one of my daughters loves to play soccer, but isn’t the best one on the team, you better believe I will be cheering for her just as much as her talented teammates. If she wants to try out for the traveling team, then HELL YES she will try out with my support. It doesn’t matter if she makes it or not, because she went out there, did her best and TRIED. She might not make it. I might have to wipe her tears off her cheeks. But that’s life. She can’t win everything. She won’t learn how to be successful in life without taking risks, believing in herself and putting in hard work. Watching her try will make me nothing but proud, and she damn well WILL have the support of her Mom through it all – no matter what!

Saying your children will be allowed to participate in a chosen activity “over your dead body” might seem innocent enough now, but do you even know what you are doing? You are imposing your own negative opinions on your child. You are saying that their interest in said activity is not up to your standards. You are hindering them by not even giving them the chance to try something new. Just because you had a bad experience growing up doesn’t mean your child will have a bad experience. The last thing I want to do is let my own negativity and preconceived notions rub off on my kids. So far, they don’t have a clue about the stereotypes that go along with participating in certain activities, and I am praying it will remain that way for a long time. I sincerely hope they have the chance to experience as many sports and extracurricular activities as they want to – and consequently form their own opinions of what they think is fun. I want my girls to participate because their heart is in it, not because somebody else’s heart is.

So now that those words are said, I will get down off my soapbox and leave you with some life lessons I learned on that terrible, unthinkable cheerleading squad:

  1. Respect
  2. Time management
  3. Multitasking skills
  4. Personal responsibility
  5. Leadership
  6. How to preform under pressure
  7. How to be a member of a team
  8. How to work with small groups
  9. That it only takes one person’s mistake to lower an entire team’s score
  10. That no matter how bad that person’s mistake hurt our score, I still needed to support them because they were my teammate
  11. That you can’t please everybody
  12. How to work well with people I love, as well as people I don’t love
  13. That practice makes perfect, even if practice is early Saturday morning
  14. That if one person didn’t hold their own weight, the entire stunt came down
  15. How to feign enthusiasm
  16. How to be eternally optimistic

That’s right. I left high school cheerleading and entered college with all of that knowledge.

Being a cheerleader sounds like a horrible life experience, doesn’t it?

That's me, just showing my kids how to straddle jump on a jumpy pillow. You can take the girl out of cheerleading, but you can't take the cheerleader out of the girl! #stillgotit #kinda #ish
That’s me, showing my kids how to straddle jump. You can take the girl out of cheerleading, but you can’t take the cheerleader out of the girl! #stillgotit #kinda #almostthirtysocutmesomeslack

Good Cheap Fun

~ Kaitlyn @ Doing Dishes Making Wishes ~ 48 Comments

As a stay-at-home mom, I am perpetually bored. I am in constant search of things to do. I know it seems like it would be nice to just be home all the time, but I PROMISE you, it can make a girl go crazy. I can only hear the Mickey Mouse “Hot Diggity Dog” song so many times before I am tempted to run for the high hills. As a result, I began taking the kids out for numerous “adventures.”

We all benefit from some time out of the house, but I quickly learned how freaking expensive it is to keep up with these outings. Paying admission for 1 adult and 2 kids can add up fast, and I know darn well that I am not getting my money’s worth dragging a 4-year-old and 2-year-old around. Nothing is more aggravating to me than taking the kids somewhere and ending up $75 in the hole before we even get through the door! Not to mention the minute my 2-year-old has a meltdown, I am evacuating the place like it is on fire and I can kiss my $75 of fun goodbye! I decided during one of these episodes that we needed to start heading out to some low-budget entertainment.

It was so frustrating trying to find some of these hidden gems! The free stuff is rarely advertised, and I found a lot of these places through word-of-mouth. I was like an undercover mom spy last year, getting the scoop from random women I had never met at the playground. They probably thought I was a lunatic. It really shouldn’t have been that hard. So now….I will bestow this magical knowledge upon you!

This is my summer list! Everything on my list is cheap – $5 or less per person – if you follow my instructions. Most of it is even FREE! I am well aware of the fantastic attractions available to us in Chicagoland, but you won’t find them on this list. They are just too pricey! I live in the southwest burbs, so the things listed are within a reasonable distance of me. I categorized the list by activity. With each place I have included the address, summer hours, admission, parking and a link to the website. (If they have one, the link is highlighted in blue – some don’t have a website) I also provided some other random info that I love knowing ahead of time before heading out for a day with the kids. (Such as – if there is a picnic area, the bathroom situation, if it is stroller-friendly, etc.) I hope you can enjoy going on some of these adventures as much as we do! Happy exploring, my fellow adventurers!

Zoos:

FREE!

1000 Ray Moses Dr., Aurora, IL

Open daily from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

A small zoo located in Philips Park. Philips Park also has playgrounds, a free splash pad, a sunken garden and picnic area with tables. There are restrooms inside the visitor center. There is plenty of free parking, and most of the zoo is stroller-friendly. No concessions, but you can bring your own food/drink and eat in the picnic area. The zoo has a lot of decent exhibits for being free. They do ask for donations, but it is not required. There are donation boxes inside the visitor center and at the zoo entry.

$5 or less per person

1356 North Gary Ave., Wheaton, IL

Open daily from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

A very cute, clean little zoo! $4 per adult and all kids 17 and under are free! The whole zoo is stroller-friendly. There is a concession stand, but you can bring in your own food and drink. There is a picnic area with tables. Restrooms are on-site.  Parking is free. You can feed the ducks and chickens daily. They also have a very cute “Backpack Explorer” self guided tour that my 4-year-old loves! You can rent a pack for $2 from the gift shop. (You only need 1 pack per family per visit.) The pack is full of little activities and items to help guide you through the zoo. Once you complete your tour of the zoo, you can return your completed pack to the gift shop and receive an Eco-Explorer button. There are 8 different themes to the packs, so you can get 8 buttons total throughout the summer! It makes for a new zoo experience every time you visit! We LOVE this zoo!

Gardens/Nature:

FREE!

500 N Chicago Avenue, Elwood, Illinois

Open daily from dawn to dusk

My favorite hidden gem to date! Totally free, beautiful children’s garden full of toys, musical instruments, art supplies and paths to explore. This garden has an evergreen maze, sunflower tunnel, mud kitchen, butterfly garden and so much more! My kids stay busy here for hours. Plenty of free parking. Huge playgrounds and working bathrooms across the parking lot. There are two picnic pavilions to choose from. One is inside the children’s garden and the other is by the bathrooms and playgrounds. Bring your own food and drink because there are no concessions available. Stroller-friendly. Be prepared with a change of clothes – Your kids WILL get dirty.

$5.00 or less per person

14158 W. 159th Street, Homer Glen, IL

Open weekdays and Sunday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Saturdays from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.

The cutest local farm that allows you to pick your own produce! My kids LOVE this place! So far we have picked our own strawberries, rhubarb, blackberries, cherries and apples here. They have tons of other stuff you can pick listed on their website. $5 per person to enter the field, and then you pay for what you pick by weight. (If you want to pick your produce all season, buy a Pick Pass for $25 per person. This gets you unlimited access to the field, plus 10% off your produce price for the entire year.) ALWAYS check the website before you head to the farm! They update it every morning with what is available for picking that day. The paths are all gravel and dirt, so I wouldn’t call this place stroller-friendly. We usually bring our red wagon with to help pull the produce. The farm supplies containers and bags if you need them. Since they sell everything you pick by weight, you can also bring your own produce bags or cardboard boxes if you want to be Earth friendly. (I do recommend using their supplied quart containers for berries.) I also recommend wearing closed toe shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy, a hat that keeps the sun out of your eyes, sunscreen, bug spray and old clothes. If you have little kids, I can promise your whole family WILL leave this place covered in fruit juice, mashed berries and dirt. They have port-a-potties by the farm stand, but nothing out in the field! Plan your potty checks ahead of time if you have little kids!

FREE!

2501 Highland Park Dr., Joliet, IL

Open daily from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Visit the Pilcher Park Nature Center to see exhibits of local wildlife, walk a few hiking trails, go fishing in Hickory Creek, take a walk through the Bird Haven Greenhouse, play on the playground and stop at one of the picnic tables for lunch. No concessions available, so bring your own food/drink. There is plenty of shade. Some of the trails are stroller-friendly. There are bathrooms available in the Nature Center and by the playground. Plenty of parking available throughout the park.

Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center

Little Red School House Nature Center – Willow Springs, IL

FREE!

9800 Willow Springs Rd., Willow Springs, IL

Open 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Monday-Thursday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Saturday-Sunday, CLOSED Friday

An adorable nature center full of educational fun for kids. Inside the new Green Schoolhouse and the same Little Red Schoolhouse from our childhood, you will find live animal exhibits and interactive exhibits about local wildlife and their habitats. It has a children’s museum feel to it. There are bathrooms inside, and stroller friendly paths around the nature center. There are some good benches on the grounds to stop and have a picnic. You can take a short hike around the nature trail to see some gardens, plants and wildlife – some of the trails may not be stroller-friendly if there was recent rain. We saw bullfrogs by the lily pads last year! Plenty of parking. Check their schedule of events on the website if you are looking for something extra, because they have a bunch of free, family-friendly, nature-based events throughout the summer.

Splash Pads:

  • Brent Hassert Park – Crest Hill, IL

FREE!

19623 Renwick Rd., Crest Hill, IL

Open 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Plenty of free parking. A decent-sized, enclosed splash pad. It is attached to 2 different playgrounds with rubberized surfacing. It can get busy in the mornings, but lunchtime and afternoons are not as bad. There are bathrooms, a drinking fountain, concession machines and a picnic shelter attached to the splash pad area. Bring sunscreen and hats because there is very little shade here! We usually pack a picnic lunch and a change of clothes so that the girls can play on the playgrounds once they are done splashing. Stroller-friendly.

  • The Promenade Mall – Children’s Play Area – Bolingbrook, IL
FREE!
631 E Boughton Rd., Bolingbrook, IL
Open during mall hours
Plenty of free parking. It is inside the open-air mall. Park on the side near Bass Pro Shops. This splash pad is little underwhelming, but fun for a quick little outing. It has a few interactive water fountains on a rubberized surface. It is usually not too crowded, and sometimes we even have it all to ourselves. Plenty of family-friendly restaurants in the area, and lots of shopping if you want to run errands before you play! (We also usually walk across the street to Bass Pro Shop because Emmy is obsessed with looking at the fish tank – whatever keeps the kid’s entertained!) It is stroller-friendly with plenty of benches to sit and keep and eye on the kids. Bathrooms are available inside the mall.
  • Hobson Corner Park – Woodridge, IL

FREE!

2910 Hobson Rd., Woodridge, IL

Open 10:00 am – 8:00 pm

Free parking. Very basic with interactive fountains shooting up from the ground, but my kids still love it. I usually bring a couple small buckets for them to play with. Small area with a few tables to sit at, or bring a blanket to spread on the surrounding grass. Stroller-friendly. No restrooms, but a port-a-potty is there for emergencies!

$5 or less per person!

801 Blackhawk Dr., Westmont, IL

Open daily from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm

If I am going to pay for a splash pad, it better be good! When we do go here, the kids always freak out – It is by far their favorite splash pad! You pay $5 per non-resident child and adults are free. Plan to get wet with your little kids, because this splash pad is huge! (If your kids are older you might be able to get away with supervision from the side.) NO food is allowed inside the splash pad area. You can get your hand stamped and exit the splash pad to have snacks and such. There is a nice picnic pavilion, but come early to claim a table! There is also plenty of grassy area to claim with a picnic blanket, which is what we usually do. You can bring your own food and drinks for a picnic, but they also have a concession stand that offers snacks and drinks.There are bathrooms, but they are a little bit of a walk from the splash pad. There is a nice playground and a huge sand pit, so bring some sand toys to keep the kids busy.  This park is stroller-friendly and has plenty of free parking.

Pools:

$5 or less per person – specific instructions below

500 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville, IL

Open Monday – Saturday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm and Sunday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Zero-depth entry, sand-bottom pool with a couple of fountains for little ones to play in and a small slide. Also has platforms and diving boards in the deep water for older kids who can pass a swim test. Large sandy “beach” area for building sand castles and digging. My kids LOVE it here! It is pricey for normal admission and usually VERY crowded. This place makes my list because from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm you can get in for only $3 per non-resident on weekdays and Saturdays! Bonus: It is not as crowded at this time too.

Extra Details: Lifeguards on duty. There is free parking, but sometimes it fills up and you have to use the street parking on Jackson Street. Coast Guard approved floatation devices (such as puddle jumpers and life vests) are allowed. Somewhat stroller-friendly – There are paved sidewalks connecting the parking lot, pool area and concessions. Once you are in the pool area it is mostly sand and grass. Bathrooms and locker rooms are on-site. You can bring in your own food/drink. (I pack a small cooler.) They do have a concession stand/restaurant offering sandwiches, treats and drinks. There are plenty of picnic tables and lounge chairs to choose from, or bring a blanket to spread out on the grassy area. There are some shady spots too.

https://i1.wp.com/www.lemontparkdistrict.org/wordpress1/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Pool-6-23-09-097.jpg?resize=371%2C278

$5.00 or less per person – specific instructions below

16028 127th St., Lemont, IL

Open weekdays 12:00 – 7:00 pm and weekends 12:00 – 6:00 pm

A nice pool for little kids. Zero-depth entry with a few fountains to play in. A large water slide and diving board keep the older kids occupied. Normal admission is a little high, but this pool makes my list because on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they open early for families with kids under 11 years old! You pay a discounted admission for this time slot. FREE for 2 and under, $6 per non-resident adult, $4 per non-resident child – OR – a non-resident family of 4 for $11. Not bad for a morning swim when you consider the cost of normal non-resident admission, plus less crowds!

Extra Details: Lifeguards on duty. Free parking and stroller-friendly. You can bring in your own food/drink. (I pack a small cooler.) They do have a small concession stand offering snacks and drinks. There are plenty of picnic tables and lounge chairs to choose from. Bathrooms and locker rooms are attached to pool area. Bring your own towels, hats and lots of sunscreen! Shade is hard to come by here unless you can grab one of the tables with an umbrella.

Sports:

$5.00 or less per person – specific instructions below

1 Mayor Art Schultz Drive, Joliet, IL

Click the link above for game schedule.

An affordable way to take your family out to the ballpark! A very family-friendly minor league team. They make my list because they have $2 Tuesdays – seats are $2 apiece! They have promotional theme nights such as Superhero night, Princess night, Lego night, Harry Potter night, etc. On Fridays there are post-game fireworks. On Sundays there are post-game meet and greets, so the kids can get autographs from their favorite players. After most games, they let the kids on the field to run the bases. My favorite way to go with little kids is buying $7 lawn seats. It is an open grassy area, and the kids have some freedom to run around if the game gets a little boring. Bring a blanket to sit on, and your glove to catch foul balls! If you want a regular seat it is still only $12, or you can get a club seat for $14. Parking for Slammers games is free, and you can also get to the game an hour early to enjoy discounted “early bird special” ballpark food and drink!

Music/Movies:

FREE!

Every Monday night from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Central Square. (Corner of 9th St and Hamilton.) Click link for concert schedule.

Shop a farmer’s market, buy dinner off a food cart, let the kids jump in the free bouncy house, grab free treats (This past Monday had all you can eat ice cream, and last year we had snow cones every night), walk through the car show and enjoy a live music concert! The event is totally FREE, unless you choose to buy food/drink! Bring a blanket and some lawn chairs to claim a spot on the grass. You can also bring your own food/drink. Park in one of the downtown lots and walk over. Bathrooms inside Central Square building.

FREE!

New Lenox Commons, 1 Veterans Pkwy, New Lenox, IL

10 free movie nights total – click link above for schedule.

Starts at dusk, approx 8:00 pm. Bring a blanket and lawn chairs to claim your spot on the green and enjoy a movie outside. Concession stand available, but you can bring your own food/drink. (We have actually never gone to this, but I hear good things from a lot of people. I have no idea what the bathroom situation is. I will update this when I find out!)

FREE!

“Ratatouille” – June 3, “Tower Heist” – July 8, “The Lego Movie” – August 5 (Click link for more info.)

Movie starts at dusk (approx 8:00) on Breidert Green. (The big grassy area with a small stage in the middle of downtown.)

Bring a blanket, snacks and lawn chairs and enjoy a movie outside. Get there early to claim a good spot, and walk across the street to Kernel Sweet Tooth to grab popcorn and ice cream! (No bathrooms were on site that I could find, but I was able to use Kernel Sweet Tooth’s with one of my daughters last year after we purchased a snack.)

So there you have it. My list of local, cheap fun. Now go have a family adventure on me!

Just kidding….it will probably be free!

You. Are. Welcome.

🙂 Kaitlyn

P.S. If you liked this post, you may also like Good Cheap Getaway for some easy and quick family vacation ideas!

The Perfect Mom Quest

~ Kaitlyn @ Doing Dishes Making Wishes ~ 4 Comments

Something has happened to our generation of moms. Something terrible. We have lost our common sense in our quest to be perfect.

Our mothers and grandmothers didn’t have the internet or “How To” books for parenting. They went off their instincts, and if that didn’t work, they talked to their mothers, aunts, friends and neighbors for advice. They didn’t always follow it, but in the end we all turned out to be healthy and functioning human beings. That was what mattered, right?

The internet is an endless supply of information. Google search “how to make baby food” and you literally have thousands of options, methods and instructions right there in front of you. The same thing applies to diaper creams, medicated ointments, and basically anything else you can use on a baby. Here is the thing that pisses me off – some of this stuff is pure crap.

Did you know ANYBODY can start a website?! (I started one!)

Did you know that anybody can publish ANYTHING THEY WANT on said website? (I am typing whatever the hell I want right now!)

Did you know that if they are making claims and giving advice it is most likely a bunch of bullshit unless they can cite their information from a credible source? (I bet you are now vaguely remembering high school bibliographies with loathing. You’re welcome.)

Our generation of moms can turn to the internet for any parenting obstacle. Forget common sense. You can just Google it. Who cares what your Gram says? She only managed to raise five respectful and successful kids in a single income household! Screw what the pediatrician says. Why would we listen to someone who completed 8+ years of college and medical school followed by 3+ years of residency when we can just read some random Perfect Mom’s blog and follow her advice? I am sure she is qualified to give sound medical guidance on the health of our families.

Oh wait. Did she even graduate high school? Her children seem OK in the pictures, but are they ACTUALLY healthy and OK? We will never know, my friends! We will only see what she wants us to see, because she can say whatever she wants on that big, bad blog of hers. She doesn’t have to produce any credentials to hit the publish button, and people read it. I am weeping for every scientist and medical professional who has ever published solid research. Published research is boring, but jumping on the hip Perfect Mom bandwagon is fun! Let’s all forgo our educations and parent our kids based on current trends!

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I spent HOURS upon HOURS on the internet. I refer to this as the Perfect Mom Quest. I became obsessed with the notion of being the Perfect Mom. So much so that I pushed aside all common sense instincts and read as much of those crap mommy blogs as I possibly could. Naturally, (no pun intended) I came to the following conclusions:

  • I was going to have a natural delivery (even considering home birth) because any mom worth anything pushes their kid out of their vagina drug free.
  • I would make my own organic baby food, because jars of baby food have chemicals. Which chemicals? IT DOESN’T MATTER! HOMEMADE ORGANIC WAS THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO GO!
  • I was going to breastfeed exclusively because if I gave my baby formula her brain would be underdeveloped, plus she might get cancer. JESUS. Might as well call that stuff liquid death.
  • I was never going to give my baby acetaminophen or ibuprofen because, “OMG! I read a blog that said these medications are poison. I would be administering POISON to my child! What kind of tricks are these pediatricians trying to pull!?”
  • I was only going to use cloth diapers because I read another blog saying disposable diapers WILL give your child severe diaper rash. HOLY SHIT. My kid will never have diaper rash. I will not allow it. I will only use cloth diapers. Are those disposable diaper parents freaking insane!? Why would anyone willingly give diaper rash to their baby?!
  • I was not going to vaccinate because Jenny McCarthy said it gave her kid autism, plus kids die from adverse reaction to vaccines. How many kids? Who cares?! It is killing children! Vaccination is obviously a tool put on Earth to defeat mankind.

I know. Exhausting. If only I could go back in time and slap myself senseless, and then slap myself some more until I was once again sane. I was smarter than that! I have a Bachelor of Science for Christ’s sake! I couldn’t complete one lab in NIU’s Anderson Hall without citing a study. I couldn’t turn in a project unless I had proof that my stated facts came from somewhere credible. My professors wouldn’t have given an uncited project one glance. I should have been able to avoid falling for this Perfect Mom crap right?

Once I had my baby I realized this quest was not only unrealistic, but also so time and energy consuming that I could barely handle it. Why was I putting myself through all this when there was no actual proof that my baby would turn out to be a super genius or Olympic athlete? That was the end of Perfect Mom Quest.

  • I ended up having a C-section because Avery was Frank breech. Had I done a home birth, I firmly believe one of us would not have come out of that situation healthy. Good-bye to natural delivery, and thank goodness for my obstetrician!
  • Making my own organic baby food was messy, just as expensive – if not more expensive – and a huge pain in the ass. I wasted a few hours of my life on it, then decided there were better ways to spend my time. My kids ate the toxic Gerber (which is actually not toxic at all – see below) for a couple months, and I switched them to finger foods. They are alive and healthy. Why is this short transition from liquid to finger foods plagued with puree controversy?!
  • I hated breastfeeding. Hated it. I suffered through sixteen weeks of zero sleep, bleeding nipples, low milk supply and throbbing let-downs before I finally gave up on the whole thing. While watching Cody feed Avery a bottle of formula, I wept. I still can’t tell you if it was out of guilt that I had given up or flat-out relief that breastfeeding was over. Then I went to bed (Since my boobs were no longer needed – Thank the Lord!) and slept while he worked his first all-night feeding shift. I woke up as a new woman and never looked back.
  • Once my kids hit 6 months, I gave them ibuprofen and acetaminophen when it was appropriate. Seeing your child sick and in pain is hard. If I have a headache, I take medicine and feel better. Why would I want my kids to cry in pain when I know I have something that will help? Turns out using medications properly is perfectly safe and healthy. (see below)
  • Here are fun facts you don’t find on a Perfect Mom blog about cloth diapers: They are disgusting and time consuming. Also – Disposable diapers don’t give your baby diaper rash. Poop and pee on skin give your baby diaper rash. I lasted 2 months using cloth diapers. My washing machine and gag reflex thanked me when I finally snapped and bought Huggies.
  • My kids are vaccinated and have been since day one. My pediatrician BEGGED me to do accurate research. She would treat my kids either way, but it was strongly encouraged that I make an educated decision rather than a “But I read it on a Perfect Mom blog” decision. I love my pediatrician. She knew how to tame my crazy.

I happen to know many women who are, in fact, Perfect Moms. They are breastfeeding like champions and pureeing baby food like it is their job. They are washing their cloth diapers without gagging and pushed their kids out – all natural and drug free – like they were supposed to. Cheers to them! They must have their own good reasons if they are putting themselves through all of that hot mess. I always get down on myself when talking to these moms. They never fail to remind me with a snarky little smile that they are, “Just doing what is best for baby!” or the good old, “Mommies make sacrifices!”

Yep. I am currently sacrificing the joy of ripping out your hair, Lady.

Being a new mom is like that high school girl vs. girl competition all over again. You can’t be in the Perfect Mom club unless you have successfully completed the Perfect Mom Quest.

https://i0.wp.com/cdn2.thegloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Mean-Girls-Cant-Sit-With-Us-GIF.gif?w=656

I guess I am kicked out of the club. Rebel for life!

Truth be told, when Perfect Mom’s child stands next to Avery (a.k.a. my vaccinated, medicated, formula-drinking, Huggies-wearing, Gerber-eating child who was delivered via C-section) at the preschool music show, all I see is two happy and healthy kids. I can’t look at that group of 24 kids and pick out the breastfed ones. I couldn’t tell you which ones had homemade organic purees when they were 9 months old. All I can tell you is that they still made it through their first year of preschool….Regardless of all that.

I am reminding myself and all other moms like me that we did a good job.  We did the research and made parenting decisions based on what we knew in both head and heart was best for our families. As a result, our kids are just as happy and healthy as Perfect Mom’s organic, all natural kids.

You know what that makes us?

Perfect Moms.

Want to know where I did my research? Here you go:

My decision to vaccinate my kids:

Here is the World Health Organization’s vaccine reaction rates website. You can click on each vaccine and get a breakdown of every possible adverse reaction to the vaccines, including worldwide statistical data.

Here is the Autism Science Foundation’s website for autism and vaccination. There are countless studies listed that provide solid evidence against autism being related to vaccination.

Here is some info on herd immunity from the University of Oxford.

 My decision to buy Gerber baby food purees:

Here is Gerber’s website. They have USDA certified organic baby foods, which also means the crops are not genetically modified. If you have also done research, you would know anything with an USDA certified organic label cannot contain any GM foods.

You can look up the full ingredient list for any of their baby foods. Here is an example with peaches. These are their standard peaches, not the organic. Click on the nutrition information tab below the product’s picture for the full ingredient list. (Like any other food you buy in the grocery store, baby food has to follow the FDA guidelines for food labeling.)

I made sure all the Gerber purees that I used for my kids only contained the fruit/vegetables of choice, water, and either ascorbic acid or citric acid. What are those? They are natural preservatives! Ascorbic acid is vitamin C. It can be used as a preservative for food by preventing oxidation. It can also be used as a vitamin C supplement. Your body needs vitamin C to help absorb iron. An excess of vitamin C in the system is very rare because it is a water soluble vitamin. Citric acid is a naturally occurring acid in citrus fruits. It is used as a preservative to slow down oxidation of food. Have you ever squeezed lemon juice over apple slices to keep them from browning? Or lime juice into guacamole? You just preserved your food with citric acid. Don’t trust me? Click on the links above!

My decision to use over-the-counter medication to treat high fever or pain:

Here is KidsHealth.org’s information on the safety of ibuprofen and how to use it correctly. Here is their page for correct use of acetaminophen.

KidsHealth.org is a good resource for parents. It is managed by the Nemours Foundation, a not-for-profit dedicated to education for children’s health.

Here is the popular WebMD website’s advice for young children and ibuprofen use.